At an age when her cousins and siblings were excelling in studies, Rajeswari Sainath did not think twice to venture into learning classical dance.
Even after dedicating herself to Bharatanatyam for over four decades, she retains her zeal as a student when it comes to experimenting with new themes and ballets with her disciples.
“Dance is a divine art form that actually helps you grow younger. I started hitting the higher octave when people were actually planning for retirement. To my surprise, age has never been a barrier,” says the Bharatanatyam exponent, who has done her PG in Management Studies after completing B.Com and L.L.B. She was in the city to perform ‘Lalitha Sahasra Namam’ ballet with her disciples, including her daughter Vyshnavie, at a dance programme organised by the Visakha Music and Dance Academy.
“I love performing thematic ballets and equally enjoy presenting traditional ‘Varnams’ that will stretch for an hour,” she told The Hindu .
What helped Rajeswari gain fame is her ability to perform Varnam in rare thala and ballets in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, and English, across the world.
The evolution of handloom weaving, organ donation, and environment conservation are some of her unique themes that have been highly appreciated.
Apart from Sruthi Laya Kendra Natrajalaya in Secunderabad, Rajeswari runs dance schools in Chennai, London, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. She says that dance is a great stress buster that works wonders for one’s wellbeing.
“Positive thinking and maintaining physical fitness are equally important to strike a healthy balance between the mind and the body,” she adds.
I love performing thematic ballets and enjoy presenting traditional ‘Varnams’ that stretch for
an hour
Rajeswari Sainath
Bharatanatyam exponent
